African Children's Educational Trust
New Year 2012 newsletter
A big thank you to all our supporters and followers. With your unfailing and continuing help we have had a really successful year, helping thousands of Ethiopian youngsters to improve their lives and futures in a very positive way. Thanks again.
EYES Band & Circus perform for all Mekelle at the special request of the Mayor
EYES - A-CET's Ethiopian partner charity - has a fifty member Circus and Band composed of full-time or graduated students from 12 up to 25 years old.
EYES Circus is a totally voluntary and self-selected group.
Whilst A-CET/EYES provides them with rehearsal facilities, logistical backup, costumes and equipment with general managerial guidance; the shows they put on are theirs entirely.
They rehearse five nights a week and often at weekends and perform freely on demand for the public. They aim to reach as wide and diverse an audience as possible.
Together the circus and band members learn so much in discipline, reliability, team-work, co-ordination and above all, they have fun. Certainly their confidence and self-esteem grows by leaps and bounds and we are proud of their performances.
The circus and band gave two public performances in December 2011 in a packed Mekelle main square for both Cities and Nations & Nationalities weeks - at which Mekelle won the “Best City in Ethiopia”. Our last show was for over three hours and attended by thousands - the traffic in Mekelle city certainly stopped that night! Mekelle still has little public entertainment.
The circus and band help to bring joy and happiness to thousands. And they all now know of the importance of education in their lives.
Amanuel's story
Amanuel is 16 years old and at Grade 10. He is an accomplished poet in his native language Tigrinya. In November with help from local businesses, he published his second small volume of poems which was launched at an special event chaired by the Regional Head of Education Mr Gobezay. Amanuel was asked when he started writing poems he replied "when I was three years old and so hungry, I wrote poems to forget about being hungry". Recommended to us by a leading Tigrinya Professor for keeping the language alive, he is continuing his studies on an A-CET scholarship.
Wintana's story
Wintana is 20 years old and suffers from a spine defect which was aggravated by the damp cold climate when she went to Gondar Government University a year ago. Required by doctors orders to return to her warmer and dryer home region of Tigray, she was unable to re-gain her place at a Government University. Recommended to us by Social Services as an especial deserving case, she is now studying to be a Health Officer at a private university in Mekelle as an A-CET student.
A baby girl for A-CET's Birhan Woldu
Birhan Woldu became one of the most recognized faces of the late 20th century when the skeletal image of her as a three-year old child was used at the end of 'Live Aid' to globally publicize famine in Africa. Now Birhan has a child of her own. Read more here, or purchase the book Feed The World: Birhan Woldu And Live Aid, by Oliver Harvey All author's profits from the book, Feed The World: Birhan Woldu And Live Aid, will be split equally between Birhan and the African Children's Educational Trust.
Ziban Albe school progress
This is our biggest school upgrade project to date and will be completed in time for opening after Easter 2012.
It comprises over 20 new classrooms plus a designated 25 station solar powered co0mputer training laboratory.
Ziban Albe has over 1,200 students from Grades 0 to 8 and the entire Hiwane community are very excited as they see the buildings go up. “It’s like a new city” said one of them.
The project is being overseen by our Ethiopian partner charity EYES and will cost over £ 250,000 when fully furnished and mains electricity is installed.
A-CET student Samuel A. Assefa article
Please help us
NONE of this work could be achieved without the continuing vital support of our all our dedicated and fully committed donors, to which we all owe a great sense of gratitude. Thank you.
A-CET, PO Box 8390, Leicester, LE5 4YD | Registered Charity 1066869 (England & Wales)
A-CET is a member of:
National Council of Voluntary Organization (Member 6689)
The Institute of Fundraising (Member Z84753)
The Fund Raising Standards Board
ImpACT Coalition
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